Celtic happy to wait for McGinn, Sports Direct, Valiant Valur

The exciting shock in last night’s big game saw Icelanders Valur record a 1-0 home win over Rosenborg in the first qualification round of the Champions League. Whoever wins this tie faces Celtic (caveat acknowledged) in the second round.

There is a long way to go for Valur, Wednesday’s game in Norway will be a major test, but even if Rosenborg emerge, it is encouraging to see them stretched, rather than comfortable winners. Let’s hope Valur have a famous day in Trondheim.

Sports Direct were back in court against Newco yesterday, with a judge confirming their case had merit and deserved High Court consideration. A judge would not agree to hear a civil dispute unless steps had been taken by the pursuer to settle the matter out of court.

This raises the obvious question: Why didn’t Sports Direct and Newco just get his sorted out before incurring significant legal costs, not to mention the embarrassment of yet another ‘favourable settlement’?

It is possible that the Newco’s day-to-day management do not have the levers in place to make decisions like this, and that those who are able to make such decisions exist in a fantasy land. But there is another possibility: one party might want to take this all the way.

Newco have already made it known that delivery of replica shirts will not happen until next month at the earliest. If Sports Direct are in in for the long haul, that could be very optimistic. Not that Newco have done or said anything to create ill feeling at Sports Direct.

It is clear Celtic want John McGinn but he will not be crucial to their plans next season. If the player is happy to wait, Celtic are too. They can offer him a pre-contract in five and a half months. Moreover, they can use the £2m they offered Hibs for McGinn to strengthen elsewhere. An option is being considered.

You would think Hibs would figure where this is heading and accept an offer, but Rod Petrie is still chairman, so don’t expect anything logical to happen. This one has a 1 January 2019 feel about it.

After watching the first half on Tuesday I think we are needing quite a bit of work.

To be expected this early in the season but MF did not look very balanced.

They were an organised team lacking any real class.

However they managed to work their way through the MF and get behind KT all too easily.

Lots to work on.

JF needs to get more involved — they played him well but he needs to take the game to them rather than stand on the touchline and play it back.

JH has a fair bit to go but he has a lot of potential.

Unlike JF he looks as if he wants to be in the game and plays with a bit of swagger.

Still as raw as sushi but he is much better player than any home grown players we have had in the recent past in that position in his age group.

Bit worrying that we have to go to Dundee and buy his level of talent.

Something is badly wrong with our youth set up.

Are we working to the standard template of 2 talents and a team of stiffs at a particular age group. First heard about this from second string EPL teams in 2003/05 where getting a game for the youths was in the main cannon fodder for the two talents they were watching / developing.

One reason why so many EPL youths get punted.

They were never in with any realistic chance but they got a blazer and an ego trip for 2 or 3 years.

As mentioned before we need to work our youth / reserve squad to help smooth the transition to the first team. Given some of our recent departures from the youths to the SPL we seem to be developing some amount of mediocrity.

EBOUE KOUASSI is determined to follow the example of ‘the big boss’ – Scott Brown – to make the first team breakthrough at Celtic.

The 20-year-old Ivory Coast midfielder was signed by Brendan Rodgers from Russian outfit Krasnodar for £2.3million 18 months ago, but illness and injury have stalled his career with the seven-in-a-row champions.

Kouassi, though, has revealed the Hoops skipper is his inspiration as he attempts to make his mark at Parkhead.

He said: “Scott is a big guy, a main guy for Celtic. I always look to how he plays because he has such a big mentality over the entire team. He is the leader.

“He is the big boss in the team. He is our captain. The big boss is the gaffer, Brendan Rodgers, but Scott is the other boss, the boss on the field.

“What did I think when I first met Scott? I wouldn’t say I was scared of him. I have sometimes kicked him in training! But I respected him right away.

“When I didn’t play so much last season he would talk to me about it. He said to me: ‘Don’t get angry, you are young, wait for your chance and work hard’. Every time he spoke to me he was great. He always had advice.

“He told me I could be a good player, but that I was still learning. I had to be patient and my chance would come.”

Kouassi came on for Olivier Ntcham in the 68th minute of Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Alashkert in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier in Armenia with Rodgers’ side already leading through Odsonne Edouard’s first-half stoppage-time strike.

The youngster added: “I hope this is the start for me. I want to have more responsibility in the team. We shall have to wait and see.

“Playing in such a big game does give me confidence.

“Every time I play I am very happy and want to prove myself. I have to wait for my chance to get into the team.

“As a team, we have good mentality now and a good spirit, so this is why we will be better than last season.

“I want to play more, all I can do is work hard and do my best when the manager gives me my chance.”

In other news, I am struggling to understand the ‘we are worse off’ narrative.

Two guys, Lustig and Boyata, unavailable due to World Cup, two sick notes – Leigh Marvin, and Armstrong sold.

Everyone else fit, four guys back from successful loans and the younger players have an extra years experience.

Compare with the lead up to Rosenberg last year – we had injuries and disruptions all over the place.

McGinn? Many here know I am not a huge fan but if we want him let’s get him now. He is not a pup (24 in October) and the midfield leadership (“bit of dig”) transition from Brown to more than one other (Kouassi and McGinn) can happen a year earlier.

First the ET then STV rebut the petition to ban orange marches? You’d think they want them to continue.

GCC is a very difficult organisation to deal with, certainly from outside Glasgow. My recent efforts re the GCC “safer parking” proposals for Celtic supporters, (some driving expensive cars), led me to believe that this is not a Council which wants to engage with the public at any level. It was impossible to find out eg the results of last years “survey” on the proposed Celtic Park restrictions, impossible to speak to the very man listed on the most recent survey, and indeed impossible to deal with anyone related to the “permit scheme”. Did manage to speak to a woman supposedly representing GCC, call centre of some kind, only to realise that was not a Lanarkshire accent I was hearing, but a Lancashire one!

Good luck to anyone dealing with this modern day GDR re Orange Walks if they can ignore a petition of over 75,000.

Catholics of Scotland: stand firm against hate, support your priest and your parish

It is heartening to see so many people showing support and solidarity towards Canon Tom White and his congregation at St Alphonsus Church in Glasgow. Nobody should experience the vile abuse and violence directed towards them as they came out of Mass on Saturday evening during an Orange walk.

Anti-Catholic hate crime continues to account for a disproportionate level of religiously aggravated offending in Scotland (it is consistently at least 50%) and is a scourge on Scottish society.

And this attack is not an isolated incident. Anti-Catholic behaviour is a sad reality of life in Scotland and, far from being a new problem, it is an age old problem that just won’t go away. In our so-called modern, progressive, tolerant Scotland we have witnessed the desecration of a Catholic Church in Coatbridge, a priest and his congregation attacked as they came out of Mass in Fife, and the words ‘Kill all Catholics’ emblazoned on an iconic Glasgow bridge. These, and the attack on Canon White, are all examples of life in contemporary Scotland. They are not a throwback to the seventies or eighties. It is Scotland, here and now.

It has never been so important to show that we will not stand for these attacks; that is why it is vital for the Catholic community to stand together, in solidarity, with one another. In addition to the excellent work being done to improve ecumenical and interfaith relations we must also stand together as a unified Scottish Catholic community.

Please support your local priest and your local parish. Show your solidarity for the community and for a Scotland where anti-Catholic hate becomes a thing of the past.

As much as I dislike the media and the pundits and their hooligans I don’t mind the England players or manager. However 3 wins against Tunisia Panama and Sweden in 90mns out of 6 with 2 defeats to Belgium and Croatia and a penalty win against Columbia hardly suggests to me that they will threaten in the future. Reminds me of Oldco in their run to the sacking of Manchester..whatever happened to them 🍀

As for Roy Keane spent time in his company on a couple of occasions great guy and very funny doesn’t take himself too seriously and canny be bothered with bs merchants..his mum n dad are great company as well 🍀

If you purchased a month’s worth of Premiersports to view our CL qualifier on Tuesday there, then there are hoops to be viewed tonight at 7 I believe, as Shamrock Rovers take on AIK in their qualifying tie.

“Beatbhoy I was surprised when I read your post about the respective ages of Sir Alf Ramsey and Gareth Southgate…Sir A. had just turned 46 when they won the WC in ’66, Southgate will be 48 in September. He may yet receive a knighthood in the next new years honours list, they give them out like sweeties nowadays…I still think it is scandalous Jock never got one after his contribution to football…”

*

Ramsey got one for the World Cup, Busby for being the second manager of a team from Britain to win the Big Cup, though there were obviously other considerations in his case, but Jock’s achievement, and the unique way it was done, was clearly deserving of similar recognition.

Sitting in a car park in biggar, waiting to pick up my grandson . Must say it is a long time since I saw so many hun tops. Tonight I’ve seen . Carling one,s . Cr Smith. Blackthorn . And believe it or not mc ewans . A lot of guys been up in the loft . They are coming lol

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